Sterilizer



y 11, 1939- A. o. MICKELSEN I 2,155,497

STERILIZER Filed April 5, 1938 Fig. 1

, Antone 0. Mickelsen Patented July 11, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT orrice 8 Claims.

My invention relates to means for sterilizing surgical and dental instruments and the like, and, more specifically, relates to means for uti lizing modern sterilizing solutions for such pur- 5 poses, with which solutions heating is not required.

An object of my invention is to provide a receptacle in which the instruments may be placed and sterilized satisfactorily without any injury 10 to the instruments.

Another object of my invention is to provide a receptacle for this purpose which may be sealed and kept air tight during the steriliizng process.

A further object is to provide means for draining the sterilizing liquid from the instruments after the sterilizing process has been completed in order that the instruments may be removed without having the fingers come in contact with the sterilizing liquid.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a sterilizer of the. type in question in which the sterilizing liquid may be used for repeated sterilizing processes without the necessity of removing the liquid from the sterilizer.

The above and incidental objects I attain by making my sterilizer of two separate but connected vessels, with meansfor sealing the vessels, by mounting the vessels in a way to permit rotation thru an arc of 180, and by so positioning the vessels that sterilizing liquid will flow from one to the other.

In describing my sterilizer reference is to be made to the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my sterilizer with the coupling between the two Vessels of the sterilizer shown in vertical section, and with a portion of the shaft supporting the two vessels shown broken away in the manner indicated by the line A-A of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2---2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

My sterilizer in the form indicated comprises a pair of identical vessels l and II, preferably made of non-corrosive material, such as glass. I have found it most advantageous to make these vessels with the ends bullet-shaped, as shown in Fig. 1, the vessels being thus circular in crosssection with the diameters of the tubular body being gradually reduced at the closed end to form a concentric nose 12 for each vessel.

At the opposite end the tubular body of each vessel is open, and terminates in an annular rim I3, and this end of the vessel is adapted to receive a closure or cover 14 made of the same material. sponding to the rim 13 of the vessel and a ring gasket I6 is carried by the cover so that when the cover is clamped to the vessel a liquid-tight Each'coyer has a rim l corre-.

and air-tight seal will be obtained. Each cover is preferably hinged to its vessel. A metal band H is clamped around the body of the vessel adjacent the'rim I3, and the leaf l8 of a strap hinge I9 is fastened to this band. The other leaf 20 of the hinge has a recessed portion 2! in which a compression spring 22 is secured. This spring 22 is also connected to the cover. A screw 40, having one end secured in the cover M, has its other end extending through an aperture in the recessed portion 2| of the hinge leaf 22. This end of screw 46 carries a manually adjustable nut 39 by means of which. the cover l4 and hinge leaf 20 can be held closer together when the cover is in open position and the placing of the cover in closed position will be facilitated. Diametrically opposite the hinge leaf it a screw 23 is pivotally mounted on the band l1 and co-acts witha slot (not shown) provided in the free end of the hinge leaf 20. A nut 24 carried on the screw 23 serves as a means for forc- 'ing the hinge leaf 2!! to compress the spring 22 and thereby hold the cover tightly against the vessel.

The vessels Ill and II are each formed with an integral spigot 25, which is so located as to serve as a drain for each vessel when that vessel is in the upper position. A tube of rubber or other suitable material 26 incloses the spigots 25, thus constituting with the spigots a liquid conduit between the two vessels. A small airpipe 21, supported on a spider 38, which spider is placed between the ends of the two spigots, connects with both vessels. This pipe 27 serves as an air vent, and the rate of gravitational flow of the sterilizing liquid from the upper vessel to the lower vessel is largely dependent on and predetermined by the diameter of this centrally located air vent pipe 21.

The vessels I0 and II are supported on a spindle 28 by means of bands 29 and 30 circumscribing the vessels and secured to lugs 3i and 32 formed on the spindle 28. These vessels are supported in such manner that their axes will form a slight angle, .for example an angle of 5 with the axis of the spindle 28. Thus when either of the vessels ill or I I is in the upper position the bottom of such vessel will slope downwardly at all points to the conduit 26. v

The spindle 28 is forked to inclose the conduit 26, as shown in Fig. 2, and is journaled at opposite ends in pedestals 33 and 34 of the base 35. One end of the spindle 28 is extended and adapted to receive a handle 36 or other means for rotating the spindle. A light leaf spring 31 secured to the base 35 engages the band 29 of the lower Vessel andtemporarily retains the vessels in position. However, the restraint offered by the leaf spring 31 is readily overcome when the vessels are caused to change position by rotating the spindle 28.

When my sterilizer is to be used, the upper vessel is opened and the lower vessel is closed. The sterilizing liquid is poured slowly into the upper vessel and this liquid flows down thru the conduit 26 into the lower vessel while the displaced air escapes into the upper vessel. In the actual sterilizing process the instruments to be sterilized are washed and then placed in the upper vessel, whereupon the cover of the upper vessel is tightly closed. The spindle 28 is then rotated thru an arc of 180, so that the vessel containing the instruments will now be in the lower position and the vessel containing the sterilizing liquid will be in the upper position. The liquid then drains from the upper to the lower vessel and immerses the instruments. Subsequent rotation of the spindle thru 180 brings the vessel with the sterilized instruments once more into the upper position, permitting the sterilizing liquid to drain from the instruments and from the upper vessel back into the lower vessel.

After this has been done, the cover of the upper vessel may be opened and the instruments can be easily withdrawn. However, the instruments may be allowed to remain in the upper vessel with the cover sealed until the instruments are to be used.

Even during the time the cover of the vessel remains open comparatively little evaporation of the sterilizing liquid will take place from my sterilizer due to the small diameter of the conduit connecting the two vessels. Ihis is important since modern sterilizing liquids with which heating is not required are comparatively expensive. Considerable economy is effected when such sterilizing liquid can be used over and over.

The bullet-shaped noses of the vessels, with the resulting curvature of the bottoms, prevent any damage to the sharpened ends of instruments as they are slid into the upper vessel or as they are moved about when the positions of the vessels are reversed. The moving of the instruments about in the sterilizer, when the sterilizer is rotated, is important since any contacts between the instruments, or between instruments and container, are disturbed and every part of each instrument will be thoroughly sterilized.

It is, of course, possible to have various modifications in the shape of the vessels comprising my sterilizer, and to change the form of closure suggested or the mounting for the vessels, without departing from the principles of my invention. It is not my intention to limit the construction or form of my sterilizer otherwise than as set forth in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a sterilizer of the type described, a horizontal rotatable shaft, a pair of vessels secured on opposite sides of said shaft, a connection between said vessels, said connection so located that when said vessels are in vertical alinement all liquor from the upper of said vessels will drain into the lower of said vessels.

2. In a sterilizer of the type described, a rotatable shaft, a pair of cylindrical sterilizing compartments removably secured on opposite sides of said shaft, a connection between said sterilizing compartments, means for holding said sterilizing compartments against rotation.

3. In a sterilizer of the type described, a supporting frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably carried by said supporting frame, a pair of sterilizing compartments secured on opposite sides of said shaft, said sterilizing compartments arranged so.

as to make a slight acute angle with each other, a connection between said sterilizing compartments, said connection so located that when said sterilizing compartments are in vertical alinement all liquor from the upper of said sterilizing compartments will drain into the lower of said sterilizing compartments.

4. In a sterilizer of the type described, a supporting frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably carried by said supporting frame, a pair of cylindrical vessels secured on opposite sides of said shaft, said vessels arranged with their axes making a slight acute angle with said shaft and with their axes lying on the same plane as said shaft, a connection between said vessels, said connection so located that when said vessels are in vertical alinement all liquor from the upper of said vessels will drain into the lower of said vessels, means for rotating said vessels.

5. In a sterilizer of the type described, a rotatable shaft, a pair of vessels removably secured on opposite sides of said shaft, a connection between said vessels, an air vent pipe connecting said vessels, means for rotating said vessels, means for holding said vessels against rotation.

6. In a sterilizer of the type described, a supporting frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably carried by said supporting frame, a pair of cylindrical vessels secured on opposite sides of said shaft, said vessels arranged with their axes making a slight acute angle with said shaft and with their axes lying in the same plane as said shaft, a connection between said vessels, said connection so located that when said vessels are in vertical alinement all liquor from the upper of said vessels will drain into the lower of said vessels, an air vent pipe located within said connection, means for holding said vessels against rotation.

7. A sterilizer of the type described comprising a supporting frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably carried by said supporting frame, a pair of cylindrical sterilizing compartments secured on opposite sides of said shaft, a connection between said sterilizing compartments, an air vent pipe located within said connection, each of said sterilizing compartments having a closed end and an open .end and a liquid-tight closure for the open end.

8. A sterilizer of the type described comprising a supporting frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably carried by said supporting frame, a pair of cylindrical sterilizing compartments secured on opposite sides of said shaft, said sterilizing compartments arranged with their axes making a slight acute angle with said shaft and with their axes lying in the same plane as said shaft, a connection between said sterilizing compartments, said connection so located that when said sterilizing compartments are'in vertical alinement all liquor from the upper of said sterilizing compartments will drain into the lower of said sterilizing compartments, an air vent pipe located within said connection, each of said sterilizing compartments having a closed end and an open end and a liquid-tight closure for the open end, and the closed ends of said sterilizing compartments being bullet-shaped.

ANTONE O. MICKELSEN. 

